Orient Bay — Baie Orientale — is the most famous beach on the French side and one of the liveliest in the Caribbean: a sweep of pale sand about two kilometres long on the Atlantic coast, sheltered by reefs and by the islets of Green Cay and Pinel. It has been called the Saint-Tropez of the Caribbean so often that the comparison has become part of the scenery.
The beach is organised around its beach clubs. Each has its own restaurant, bar, rows of loungers and parasols and, usually, a water-sports desk; you pay for a chair-and-umbrella set and often get a drink with it. Between the clubs the sand is public and free. Behind the beach is a small resort village with a square of restaurants.
At the southern end is the island’s long-established naturist beach. The resort that once stood there was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, but the beach itself remains clothing-optional. The rest of Orient Bay is conventional, with topless sunbathing common, as everywhere on the French side.
Top things to do: Orient Bay
Pick a beach club
Walk the beach before you commit: the clubs range from barefoot bars to places with DJs, daybeds and lobster on the menu. Prices for a set of two loungers and an umbrella vary by club and by row. On cruise days the central clubs fill by late morning.
Get on the water
The steady trade wind makes the bay the island’s main spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing, mostly at the northern end. Operators along the beach also offer parasailing, jet skis, paddleboards and banana-boat rides, and small boats run to Green Cay, Pinel and Tintamarre.
Snorkel at Green Cay
The low islet in the middle of the bay (Caye Verte) is part of the nature reserve, with sea-grass beds and patches of reef that attract turtles and rays. Go with a guide or by kayak, and stay off the islet itself where nesting birds are protected.
Have a long French lunch
This is the classic Orient Bay activity. Grilled fish or a salad, a carafe of rosé, feet in the sand, another swim. Service is unhurried by design.
Walk to the quiet ends
The northern end towards the headland is where the kitesurfers launch and families spread out; the far southern end beyond the last club is calm and largely naturist. Both are far quieter than the middle.
How to get to Orient Bay
- From Philipsburg / the cruise port: 20–30 minutes by taxi via the east-coast road through the French Quarter. Many half-day tours pair Orient Bay with Maho.
- From Grand Case: about 10 minutes by car.
- From Marigot: 20–25 minutes.
- Parking: each group of beach clubs has its own free car park; follow the signs to the club you want. Do not leave bags in the car.
Insider tips
- The east coast occasionally receives sargassum seaweed, mainly between late spring and autumn. If Orient Bay is affected on the day, the west-coast beaches usually are not.
- The Atlantic side is breezier and a little cooler than the west — pleasant, but the sun is just as strong. Reapply sunscreen after swimming.
- Dollars are accepted, sometimes at one-to-one with the euro for cash. Ask what rate applies before you order.
- Photography is not welcome at the naturist end. Keep your phone in your bag there.
- For a calmer swim with small children, Le Galion beach, in the next cove south, is very shallow and sheltered.
Best tours for Orient Bay
These well-reviewed experiences are the easiest way to see Orient Bay:
Beach tour from US$46 Orient and Maho Beaches Half-Day Tour
Two famous beaches, one on each side of the island, with transport from the ship: Orient Bay and the low-flying jets of Maho.
- Pickup at the cruise port
- The French side’s liveliest beach
- Plane-spotting at Maho on the same ticket
Parasailing from US$84 Orient Bay Parasailing Experience
A parasail flight above the French side’s most famous bay, with the sea and the coast laid out below.
- Fly above Orient Bay
- Wide views of the Caribbean Sea
- A chance of spotting marine life from above
Beach tour from US$70 St Maarten Beaches Tour with Transfer
A guided beach-hop from Philipsburg that takes in Mullet Bay, Orient Beach and more, with some island history between swims.
- Mullet Bay and Orient Beach in one outing
- Transport from Philipsburg
- Local history on the way
